Pope Watch

Our family is very excitedly watching every bit of news we can to follow the meetings of the cardinals which will soon lead to the conclave to elect a new pope. The kids even have a plan all mapped out for getting up even in the middle of the night to watch for the smoke that signals the results of a vote (and calling their big sister in college once we actually have a new pope).

I thought I'd collect some of the interesting resources that we've found on this topic here.

Adopt a Cardinal - Chances are you've already heard about this one, but what a great idea! You plug in an e-mail address and they match you up with a specific cardinal to pray for during this time. Everyone in our family adopted our own cardinal.

Electing the Pope - A lovely site for understanding how the whole process works.

EWTN Television - Even if you don't have cable, you can watch EWTN online for free. This is where we watched the telltale smoke during the conclave in 2005.

How a Pope is Elected - Great graphic overview of the election process.

News.va - Official Vatican news site in English.

The Pope App -This is also powered by News.va and is available for Android or Apple.

Radio Vaticana - Another Vatican news source - there's also a nice app available for Radio Vaticana.

USCCB Interregnum Page - A page from the United States Bishops on this time period between popes.

Vatican News Facebook Page - An easy way to get updates, plus many photos I haven't seen elsewhere.

And just for fun...

Election of Pope Trivia Quiz

Learn about St. Peter's Basilica (and print out pictures for coloring)

Pope Benedict XVI Coloring Page

Interesting viewing and browsing...
(Please preview before sharing with your children.)


Inside the Vatican (National Geographic) - Lovely inside look at the Vatican and some of the activity that happens within its walls.

Pope John Paul II (Cary Elwes, John Voight) - Includes a bit of a look at what a papal conclave looks like.

SmartHistory: Pieta - SmartHistory is the art history component of Khan Academy. Although it is technically a secular site, this brief presentation is both beautiful and reverent. We have enjoyed a number of the SmartHistory videos, especially about Ancient Rome.

The Vatican Museum Collections Online


Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel